Recognizing when our flame is burning out

I was raised in a production-orientated megachurch in southern California. As the daughter of the preschool ministry director, I had an inside look at the wear-and-tear of ministry on volunteers and staff who were striving to “do everything with excellence as if we are serving God.” As I grew up and then eventually began my own vocational path into ministry, I continued to have a front row seat to burnout in many different ministry and non-profit settings. Volunteers and staff (myself included) were on fire to pour out everything (time, emotional and mental capacity, resources, physical labor) into communities.

But the flame that began as zealous ministry effort would inevitably flicker. Whether it was from overextending, saying yes too many times, or placing other’s needs in front of our own, I have seen people (and myself) burn out. The results of this burnout include utter exhaustion, numbness, grumpiness, bitterness, shame, anger, depression, anxiety, relational conflict, envy, isolation.... the list goes on and on. Burnout is not good, and what started as meaningful work ultimately leaves many of us more disconnected from ourselves, others, and the Divine. 

Whether you have volunteered or worked in ministry, can you relate to this feeling of wearing yourself thin? Or feeling burned out and overextended?

Not only have I seen the impact of burnout in ministry, but I also have studied this phenomenon with psychologists in my research. From experience and study, I have learned that burnout hits us at all types of angles for all types of reasons. For some of us, our burnout might be connected to the intrinsic calling to serve, to do justice, to generously give (Matthew 10:8). This is a beautiful calling and also draws us to types of work that requires much of our bodies, souls, resources, and time and is not always accompanied by adequate pay or recognition. For some of us, burnout is intertwined with systemic inequity. The injustices and inequalities of society leave us only one option: to work tirelessly for the survival of ourselves and our families. For some of us, we might feel caught in the treadmill of our capitalist production-centered world that compels us to go-go-go, to consume media and materials, and to produce. The demands, expectations, and stimulations of the world are too much and wear us thin—maybe without our realizing it. And for some of us, the work of justice brings us up against tragedy, devastation, and systemic oppression, leaving us overworked or over-stimulated in a world that feels more despairing than anything. We grow tired and weary. 

There are so many potential factors—many of which we cannot control—that contribute to our burnout. In any of these scenarios, it can be quite complex to discern when to keep pushing and when to take a “rest.”

And yet, as I have watched, experienced, and studied burnout, I have found that while many of us cannot change the conditions of our world, we can take breaks and cultivate nourishing environments. Implementing boundaries, taking intentional breaks, asking for help, and stepping away from the chaos is foundational to well-being. This is the ancient spiritual practice of Sabbath. 

Ironically, two weeks ago, before going on our annual summer break at Harbor, I (a so-called “expert in clergy burnout”) found myself as a pastor burning out. The months of intermittent sickness in my family combined with deeply meaningful but time-consuming pastoral work was wearing on my body. When I would go to “rest” (i.e. check my phone and zone out), the media I was consuming made my soul weary. My flame was starting to dim, and my micro-breaks weren’t really replenishing me. I needed a Sabbath—and Harbor practiced it with our summer break. What a gift. 

We all need breaks. Each of us has different barriers to getting those breaks, related to finances, work expectations, lack of PTO, feelings of shame, caretaking for others, our own medical battles, etc. “Sabbath keeping” is not an easy task for us all. As we each find ourselves somewhere on the spectrum from rejuvenated to burned out, may we pay attention to our own needs and the needs of those around us.

Let us keep taking breaks and offering breaks to one another.